2015

Minor Game Postponed

  The Minor game V Mayo Gaels that was scheduled for Sun, 29 Mar has been postponed as agreed between the two clubs. It has been re-arranged for  Wednesday 08th April in Ballinrobe at 7.00pm, subject to your approval. Please come along on the evening and give your support to the lads.

Minor Game Postponed Read More »

Our Rockets win a prize in St Patrick’s Day parade

  Second update, March 18th, 2015: Just got word that we won a prize yesterday so well done all concerned. It’s an Honourable Mention award. Update, March 18th, 2015: Well done to our huge group of Robe Rockets who represented Ballinrobe GAA Club in yesterday’s St Patrick’s Day parade. Photos are available for download HERE – if you have any to add, email them to liamhoran09@gmail.com and I will add them there. Accordingly, you can expect that more photos will be added to this folder over the coming days so might be no harm to check back (as I type, there are 87 photos syncing, so those alone will take a few hours). They certainly made themselves seen and heard – each participant was given a whistle with the exhortation to ‘blow like mad’, and they certainly took the instruction to heart. Hats off to Annette Conway for making 100 of those little maroon and yellow things (not sure what the correct term is – I’ve heard them called many things – my personal favourite is ‘Willie Joes’) and Padraic Delaney for sponsoring goody bags for the children. Special word of thanks to the parents who brought the children along, and our club coaches and members who co-ordinated the group. Well done, too, to the organisers of the St Patrick’s Day parade as a whole. It was a huge success.   Ballinrobe GAA club Robe Rockets will take part in the town’s St Patrick’s Day Parade. We will have players up to the age of 12 flying the club colours – jerseys, socks, togs, flags, tops, the lot. All players wishing to take part should turn up at the parade convening point in their club gear, please have kids wear clothing appropriate for the weather conditions. Parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters are also very welcome to join in. That’s 3:15pm at the Crann Mor Centre, Neale Road. The parade rolls off at 3.30pm. Padraic Delaney (Robe Rockets) is our main club organiser on the day.

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Congrats to Stephen Rochford & Corofin – let the (Marty) party begin

Update, March 18th, 2015: What can we say? A superlative performance in Croke Park yesterday by Corofin, managed by Ballinrobe resident and member of our club, Stephen Rochford. The record books will show that few, if any, teams in the history of the club championship marched so convincingly through the entire campaign from the opening rounds in their county through to the impossible glamour of Croke Park yesterday. The record books may also show, according to some reports yesterday evening, that Stephen is the first man to win an All-Ireland club title as a player with one club and then go on to manage another club to the same feat. A very proud day for Stephen, his wife Laura Gill, their baby son Darragh (who braved the cold of Croke Park yesterday and even featured on television – see a hastily grabbed image alongside – plus see the Marty Party pic below too), and the extended Rochford and Gill families. It brings a crazy few weeks to a close as Laura played a leading role (Sylvia) in Ballinrobe Musical Society’s production of All Shook Up last month. The homecoming is in Corofin this evening. Can’t imagine that will be a low-key affair!   March 15th, 2015: Stephen Rochford is a native of Crossmolina – as a player, he captained Mayo at minor level. He won six Mayo senior medals with the famous Deel Rovers club, three Connacht club titles and one All-Ireland club title when, in 2001, they were the first Mayo team to bring home the Andy Merrigan Cup. That victory came just prior to the foot-and-mouth outbreak and capped a month in which Mayo seniors won the NFL title (beating Galway in Croke Park) and the U21s (with our very own Micheal Keane, Sean Grimes, Paul Finnerty and Paul Tiernan on board) defeated Meath in the All-Ireland semi-final in Longford . Mayo subsequently lost the final to Tyrone in Sligo, after the foot-and-mouth outbreak had been brought under control six months later. Stephen lives in Ballinrobe, having first moved here to work in AIB Bank and later meeting and marrying local woman Laura Gill. Stephen is an active member of our club, and, along with Tuam native Alan Flynn, he coached our U21s to win the 2007 Mayo B championship. In recent times, he was a member of the group that produced our Coaching Plan (2015 to 2020). He played rugby for Ballinrobe RFC, for which club he also served as treasurer for a period. And he has been known to get suited and booted in his monkey suit to show people to their seats at the annual Ballinrobe Musical Society productions. So he’s heavily embedded in local life in Ballinrobe.   This Tuesday, Stephen is back on the All-Ireland club final stage, this time as manager of Corofin, who play Derry side Slaughtneil. Few days mean as much to the GAA supporter as St Patrick’s Day in Croke Park. Club people go there – or watch on television – and wonder ‘might we ever see our colours here on this famous day?’ We also acknowledge the fact that the man who has driven Corofin’s extraordinary under-age system, Frank Morris, has been very good to our club over the years – on at least two occasions, he has come down here to do information sessions with our coaches. He was regularly referenced by various speakers during the many discussions that led to our coaching plan. We wish Stephen, Frank and Corofin the very best on Sunday.

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